The pressure was squarely on the World and European Champions after slipping to third the day before. However, they coped with it to bring Russia a second medal in figure skating.

"We skated as well as we could," Domnina said. "Actually, we probably did more than Maxim's condition allowed us to do."

"We are happy with the bronze medal. It was a long, difficult way for us, and we are happy we did it," Shabalin said. "We gave everything out there on the ice."

Meanwhile, given that Russia has no gold medals in figure skating so far, and only the women’s event left, in which Russia has only a small chance of winning a medal, the Olympics in Vancouver seem to have ended the Soviet-Russian dominance in the sport. Time will tell if it can be reclaimed in Sochi.